Man caught driving van containing over £400 of stolen goods

Staff Reporter

A man has been remanded in custody after he was caught driving a van full of suspected stolen goods.

John Joyce (29) is charged with stealing over £400 worth of toys and gift sets from Argos, Sprucefield on October 19.

Lisburn Magistrates Court heard that Joyce, of Gortmore Drive, Finglas, Dublin, was stopped while driving a van which contained toys and around 30 bottles of whiskey and vodka.

District Judge Rosie Watters asked: “How do you steal from Argos?”

An Investigating Police officer said the items were on display in the shop and they had received a report that these items had been stolen.

Court heard how the defendant was arrested a short time later after police stopped a white Transit van on the M1, searched the vehicle and found the goods inside.

The officer said: “The toys were then identified by staff at Argos and are fit for re-sale.”

He added that “there are further incidents that are still in the very early stages.”

The officer told the court that police are still in the process of obtaining the defendant’s record from police in the Republic of Ireland. He said that this would take no longer than a week to obtain.

Joyce was refused bail as there was no suitable bail address in Northern Ireland available and it is believed he is “liable to commit further offences.”

The case was adjourned until Monday, October 24 for the defendant to appear via videolink at Lisburn Magistrates Court.

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the bottles of alcohol, which they believe they may have been stolen, to contact officers at Lisburn Station on 101, quoting ref: 798 191016.